A child from Lincolnshire was the youngest person in the country to have a Taser used on them in 2012-2013, new Home Office statistics have revealed.
A Lincolnshire Police officer red dotted the 10-year-old in June 2012, meaning that the officer pointed the Taser at the child but did not fire it – which is qualified as using the device.
The data was the result of a Freedom of Information request on use of Tasers by police forces, which includes the device being drawn, aimed, arced, red dotted, drive stunned, angle drive stunned and fired.
Tasers are gunlike devices that use propelled wires or direct contact to electrically stun and incapacitate a person temporarily.
At the opposite end of the data, a Taser was also fired at a 78 year old man in a Louth care home in October 2013.
This makes him the second oldest person in England and Wales to have had a Taser fired on them in 2012 and 2013.
Other incidents of Taser use by the force in this period include drawing or red dotting two 13-year-olds, a 14-year-old, two 15-year-olds and five 17-year-olds.
A Taser was fired by officers on one 15-year-old and on one 17-year-old, both in 2012.
Inspector Mark Garthwaite of Lincolnshire Police said: “The 10-year-old child had a history of violent behaviour that we were aware of and was throwing large lumps of glass out of a window in Bourne at the police and passers-by.
“It’s also important to note that the Taser was not fired – pointing it at him was enough to quickly and calmly resolve the situation so that no one was hurt.
“With the 78-year-old, he was smashing up a care home with a fire extinguisher and threatening people. We also had reason to believe he was in possession of a knife. The officer used the Taser for only two seconds on him, shorter than the average five second cycle.
“Most of Taser training revolves around the thought process and assessment of the situation before actually pulling the Taser out of the holster – for this we follow the National Decision Model which is guidance from the College of Policing.”
Inspector Garthwaite added that any use of a Taser by officers is scrutinised to check that it was lawful and justifiable.
The Home Office, who supplied the data, said the information held on the Taser database comes from individual police records sent to the Home Office each time a Taser is used and that some of the ages listed may be estimates.
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
Exciting news for MyLocal app users and The Lincolnite readers! Our latest update is now available to download from your app store and comes packed with the best local news experience you can enjoy.
Revamped News Feed: Enjoy faster loading times and smoother scrolling that make catching up on local news a breeze.
New Play Video Feed: Dive into a dynamic video feed that brings local stories to life in a whole new way.
Enhanced In-App Browser: Access external links quickly and efficiently, right from the app, without any distractions.
Update your MyLocal app from your app store (version 2.73) now and start enjoying these great new features today!
P.S.: Start your MyLocal membership today to support MyLocal and The Lincolnite deliver you a better local news experience and honest journalism from across Lincolnshire.
P.P.S.: We have some huge things in the pipeline, stay tuned!
Exciting news for MyLocal app users and The Lincolnite readers! Our latest update is now available to download from your app store and comes packed with the best local news experience you can enjoy.
Revamped News Feed: Enjoy faster loading times and smoother scrolling that make catching up on local news a breeze.
New Play Video Feed: Dive into a dynamic video feed that brings local stories to life in a whole new way.
Enhanced In-App Browser: Access external links quickly and efficiently, right from the app, without any distractions.
Update your MyLocal app from your app store (version 2.73) now and start enjoying these great new features today!
P.S.: Start your MyLocal membership today to support MyLocal and The Lincolnite deliver you a better local news experience and honest journalism from across Lincolnshire.
P.P.S.: We have some huge things in the pipeline, stay tuned!